Concord native honored as 'emerging artist'

Sunday

Mar 30, 2014 at 4:32 PM

A Concord native and former photography intern at The Concord Journal has been honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Artsí VSA Emerging Young Artists Program.Sam Sadtler, 25, son of Jane Wells and Tom Sadtler of Concord, is among 15 artists who were recognized for their work. He received first prize for his photographic pairing, "Delicacy of a Can Opener" and "Elegance of a Knife."Photography, sculptures, paintings and other artwork by the winning artists were entered into a national juried exhibition, "Sustaining/Creating," for young artists with disabilities. Sadtler has dyslexia. The exhibit continues through April 16 at the VSA Massachusetts Open Door Gallery, 89 South St., Boston.Sadtler said winning first prize in the contest "validated the importance of my art.""Art has always been a place of self-expression," he added. "It has allowed me to explore my ideas from a place, which is distinct from verbal and written forms of communication. Art has allowed me to greatly expand the way in which I explore the world and has given me appreciation for a wide variety of experiences. Currently through my art, I find myself questioning the sustainability of the technology I consume in my daily life and how fluidly I am willing to transfer to new devices. Yet, I also am very interested in emerging technology and actively pursue making new technological devices through my work as a mechanical engineer. This may seem paradoxical in away, but each pursuit gives me important vantage point to evaluate my work and the world. Through my own struggles with dyslexia I have come to appreciate distinct viewpoints.He will be speaking about his art work on Friday, March 28, at 6 pm at the Open Door Gallery.Sadtler attended the Alcott School in Concord and Carroll School in Lincoln, and graduated from Beaver Country Day School.He is a 2012 graduate of the University of Rochester with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and currently works as a mechanical engineer at Xerox Corporation. He lives in Rochester, N.Y.For more information, visit www.vsamass.org and www.samsadtler.com.